In the heart of Languedoc
A privileged location
The Domaine de Soustres is located in the heart of the Languedoc region between the Mediterranean sea and the Haut-Languedoc mountain range. Located on the hill of Enserune, between Béziers and Narbonne.
On this hill, is located the museum of the oppidum of Enserune and its archaeological site, remains of a Gallo-Roman village occupied between the 6th century BC and the 1st century.
From the top of the hill, a magnificent view is offered on the pond of Montady. This former lake located in the plain was drained in the 13th century. Nowadays, the 400-hectares of land are divided up by drainage canals that converge at its centre, creating an impressive landscape resembling the rays of a sun.
At its foot flows the Canal du Midi crossing the hill through the Malpas tunnel, dug out of the rock in 1679 by Pierre-Paul Riquet. The Canal du Midi is one of Europe’s oldest functioning canals and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.
Birthplace of wine in France
The hill of the famous Oppidum d’Enserune is considered by several historians and part of our civilization as the birthplace of wine in France.
From the 6th century B.C., the hill’s strategic position as a promontory and the proximity of the sea allowed the first city of Ensérune to flourish. It was here that the Etruscans and then the Greeks began the wine trade in Gaul. Archaeological excavations show that vines have been cultivated in the Béziers area since 300 B.C. brought here by the Iberians, Celts and Greeks.
From the Romans to Medieval Times
It was with the development of Narbonne from 120 B.C. and the distribution of the lands of the Narbonnaise to Roman veterans that the vineyard area grew. The estate known today as Domaine de Soustres became a large Roman villa, then a Visigoth hamlet, then a monastery, before becoming a seigniorial estate.
After the war of the Albigensians against the Cathars (early 13th century), the estate came under the control of the diocese of Narbonne and was renamed Garsagas and Balmas.
The birth of Domaine de Soustres
In the middle of the 16th century, the estate belonged to four owners. One of these was Jaume Soustre whose grandson Pierre Thomas Soustre eventually bought all the land, and in 1650
Domaine de Soustres was born. Later, by marriage, the estate came to belong to the “de Portalon” family who owned it until the 1970s.
In the middle of the 16th century, the estate belonged to four owners, including Jaume Soustre. His grandson, Pierre Thomas de Soustre, bought all the land in 1650.
A New Era
In 1977, Jean Mamert bought the estate and in 2015, his son Jean-Paul and his wife Anne-Sophie took over the business from him.
